No More Lies

Jenna Mason has been on the run since she was 16 years old and she’s tired of it. She and her 13yo son, Josh, feel at home in Oceanside, California with her loving fiancé, Kavan, and his daughter Uma.

Jenna is finally successful as a children’s book author and able to relax. feels finally able to settle and relax after years of moving every few months. Unfortunately, a local journalist has stumbled upon some information about her he wants to publish, making a name for himself.  Jenna Mason is actually Lily Carson, who was 16 and pregnant when she killed her best friend, Wes, in self-defense, and ran. But she is also running from her dangerous father, who has threatened to kill the father of her baby. Her father, Dwight, has a video of her killing Wes, which he threatens to leak should she tell anyone about the secret Dwight has. When the journalist brings Dwight to Jenna’s door in Oceanside, chaos ensues. But is Dwight really the one stalking Jenna, or is it someone else from her past?

The author does a wonderful job of pulling the reader in, and doesn’t let up with the drama until the last page, which sets up nicely for the third book in the series. There is a ton of drama and action, which made me feel like I had to turn the page faster. In fact, there is so much drama, it kind of feels like a soap opera, which is not a bad thing, but you certainly wanted the lead character to get a break! When Jenna and Josh are on the run again, Josh asks for a potty break and Jenna gets hit by a car and wakes up in a hospital several days later with Josh missing. The drama!

No More Lies is told from the perspective of Jenna and Josh, two unique voices. Lonsdale did a great job voicing the struggles of a 13-year-old who just wants to stay in one place, at the same school, with his friends. Also, as a 13-year-old, makes reckless decisions, and doesn’t quite understand how life works as an adult. As Jenna, she will do anything to protect Josh from her past. She is so afraid of being found out that she is afraid to make friends, and is just letting Kavan in. We learn a lot about Jenna as a 16-year-old girl who is pregnant and scared. She is constantly running from her past and the responsibility she feels for Wes’ death, though it wasn’t entirely her fault. Her terror when Josh goes missing is relatable and profound. I could feel her anxiety and I appreciated the author wrote this piece so well. No More Lies is an excellent thriller with many “edge of your seat” moments. While it is a series, it can be read as a standalone. As a new reader of this author, I will definitely go back and read the first book.